Best Smartwatch 2020 – Reviewed

We are well into 2020, and there are a lot of options when it comes to buying smartwatches. You are no longer limited just a handful of good ones as literally every other company is releasing their own, updated, and better smartwatches, which is definitely a good thing. However, for people who are in the market to buy the smartwatch for the first time, they might get confused over the plethora of options available.

This is completely fine, because confusions arise for everyone, and there are always some really helpful reviews and roundups available to aid your purchase. Speaking of that, if you are looking for the latest, up to date review roundup containing all the best smartwatches available in the market, you are at the right place.

In this article, we are going to be talking about the ten best smartwatches of 2020; sure, most of the models are from last year, but you would be surprised to see just ow well they have held up and are still a solid purchase in this year. We have made sure to cover almost every option, so you do not have to go through the confusion of making a choice again.

Top 10 Best Smartwatch 2020

If you have just received your brand new Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus, and you are looking to add another accessory with it, then the Samsung Gear S3 is perhaps the best thing you can buy to complement your brand new phone. Yes, I know, the Gear S3 works with other phones too, but most people prefer buying the S3 with Samsung phones to complete package.

The Gear S3 by Samsung is definitely one of my favourite smartwatches, and it has been since it came out. Now one of the main things you need to learn about the Samsung Gear S3 is that it does not run the Android Wear that is popular among the smartwatches in the market. Instead, it runs Samsung’s very own Tizen, and while it is not bad at all, the number of apps is on the lower side.

As far as the watch performance is concerned, the Samsung Gear S3 is actually really good. The Tizen OS is as refined as it good get, and even though it does not have a lot of apps, it still is a great OS with a lot of potential. The watch has a brilliant super AMOLED screen which has become a staple with all the Samsung devices, and looks stunning. The display is also always-on, and has some amazing looking animations to complement it.

The interface itself is intuitive, and easy to use; there is no clutter whatsoever in the overall performance either. You also get an impressive activity tracking and a plethora of sensors including heart rate sensor, as well as altimeter. There are some models that even come with LTE connectivity but that is completely optional.

The one thing that I don’t like as much is that the app support is a bit limited.

Pros

Excellent performance.

Stunning display.

Easy to use.

Tizen OS has a lot of potential.

Cons

Next up, we have the Apple Watch 3, this is the perfect watch for those who own an Apple device, as well as people who prefer staying outside the Android ecosystem. More or less, you can call the Apple Watch 3 an exclusive product because it only works on the iPhone, and nothing else; which seems understandable because Apple is trying to keep everything well within their ecosystem.

If you are concerned about the build quality, then the Watch 3 should not bother you; it comes with the traditional Apple build quality, and finish so you really don’t have to worry about that. I will not go as far as calling the watch luxorious, but it actually feels good.

There is a plethora of sensors, and I love Apple’s partnership that provides seamless integration with Nike’s fitness tracking apps, as well as Apple’s own fitness tracking. The Watch OS can be called a near perfect operating system for smartwatches.

I am not a fan of how the watch looks though; in an industry where manufacturers are trying their best to make sure that the smartwatches look more like actual analogue watches, Apple’s vision is a lot different, and it is almost as if they are pushing away from the design. I simply cannot say that the design on the Apple Watch 3 is attractive.

Another thing that I don’t like is the fact that Apple Watch 3 only works with iPhones; I understand that Apple is trying to keep everything within their ecosystem, but that is not right by their loyal customers.

Pros

Solid build quality.

A lot of apps.

Great at fitness tracking.

Cons

If you find yourself liking the Samsung smartwatches more than the competition, then it is fine. For anyone who is into fitness a bit more and want to have a proper control over everything, the Samsung Gear Sport is actually geared towards fitness conscious people.

The Gear Sport comes with a sleeker, better looking design for some people, and in addition to that, it also has one of the best screens you would find on any smartwatch. As with most of the Samsung smartwatches., this does run Tizen OS, so the apps limitation is certainly going to be there, but in all honesty, it is not such a big deal, because all the fitness apps are already there.

It does have all the sensors you would need, so that is not something to worry about. One feature that I really like is the fact that the watch actually has offline Spotify playback support; which basically is a huge plus for people who prefer listening to music on Spotify rather than any other medium, because it is just better for them.

Samsung Health is obviously there as well, so I can assure you that you can easily track your health, thanks to all the sensors that are available. I did notice that the GPS was being a bit shoddy on me during my fitness run, but everything else has been on point for me, making the Samsung Gear Sport a wonderful option to choose.

If you do not wish to spend a lot of money on a smartwatch, but still want something good, the Samsung Gear Sport is a must have.

Pros

Brilliant design.

Tizen OS runs really well.

Plenty of sensors to us.

The performance remains consistent.

Samsung Health is a huge help.

Cons

Huawei’s foray into the smartwatch market was met with open arms; mainly because the company brought an exciting product, a product which complemented Android Wear and was made with high end materials like ceramic, and stainless steel.

One look at the Huawei Watch 2, and you would almost feel like that you are looking your traditional watch. However, that is only as far as the looks are concerned because under the hood, the Huawei Watch 2 is packed with great internals, and a slew of sensors that aim to make the whole job much, much easier.

The watch comes with built-in GPS and NFC that makes the connectivity much easier; you also get a plethora of sensors that you can check out in the table above, and you also get 4G capability if you choose to go with the SIM variant. Needless to say, Huawei is not leaving any stone unturned and making sure that you get everything you want.

Sadly, there are some things that are less than good about the Watch 2; for starters, the design might not feel as attractive to everyone, especially those who want something stylish, and the screen itself might feel a little small.

The good thing is that that these inconveniences are not enough to hold back the Huawei Watch 2 from being one of the best smartwatches in the market, and will definitely serve as a great addition to your smartphone.

Pros

Great looks.

Decent performance.

Loaded with sensors.

Amazing, ceramic and stainless steel build quality.

Cons

The watch focuses more on traditional design elements rather than having something that would stand out.

The screen feels a bit too small as compared to some of the other watches.

Asus has done a really impressive thing with the Zenwatch 3; they have struck the perfect balance between a smartwatch and a traditional watch as far as the design is concerned, which is a good thing, because it worked so well. The Zenwatch 3 is probably one of the best looking smartwatches in the market, at least that is what I think.

But is it good enough overall? Well, to begin with, the Zenwatch 3 has one of the best looking displays on any smartwatch you will see; it is round, big, and bright; just the way it should be. In addition to that, the watch’s overall performance is actually pretty great; I did not run into any hiccups that would ruin my experience as far as the usage is concerned.

Another plus point is the battery life; during my testing, the battery life lasted around 1.5 days before I needed to charge my smartwatch again. While it is not up to the leagues of some really high end, endurance oriented smartwatches, it actually is plenty, and that is what I wanted in the first place.

Sadly, the dock that is used to charge the watch feels cheap – don’t get me wrong, it works as intended, but it just feels that Asus has put all of their attention in giving the watch a good build quality, which feels like a bummer. One more thing that bothered me was the lack of heartrate sensor, which has become a staple

Pros

Excellent looks.

Great build quality.

The screen is just gorgeous to look at.

Relatively decent battery life.

Cons

Before Samsung revved things up and released the Gear S3, Samsung was pretty new with its Tizen OS as it was definitely the big thing for them. The Samsung Gear 2 can be called the start of it all, even though it was not the first Samsung smartwatch, it certainly looked a lot different than what its elder siblings would look a few years on.

With that said, Gear 2 is for those who are not looking for an upgrade, and they just want to have a good smartwatch with basic functionalities. I am saying this because the watch has aged now, and while there are many more options available, the Gear 2 would probably the cheapest. It is not a bad smartwatch by any means, so your experience should be relatively good. There is even a camera if you want to take pictures, but it feels pointless.

As far as having apps is concerned, the Tizen OS is still miles behind Android Wear, but all the basic apps including the fitness tracker so you should be good for some time.

Other than that, there is not much to write home about the Gear 2. It is a very basic smartwatch that basically does what you want it to do without really offering you much. Plus, the design is on the older side, so not many people might want to buy this.

Overall, the Samsung Gear 2 is a smartwatch that exists because people still want to buy it for one reason or another; whether it is nostalgia, or they just don’t want to move to newer things. Which again, is completely fine. It’s a good smartwatch nonetheless, with some additions that do not make much sense, especially the camera.

Pros

The watch can be bought for a cheap price.

It has the necessary sensors.

The fitness tracker works as intended.

Tizen OS is polished despite being old.

Cons

For those who know, Garmin is one of the best smartwatch companies out there that are making some really impressive smartwatches. The Vivoactive 3 from company is known as one of the best smartwatches for a lot of reasons, and all of this despite the fact that it is not running Android Wear, but a proprietary Garmin OS.

The watch has a very subtle, simple, and gorgeous circular design that makes it look natural, and not outlandish like some of the watches I have reviewed before. It is loaded with sensors as you would expect including a heart rate sensor, and excellent GPS monitoring service that has become a Garmin trademark.

Despite not running Android Wear, the Garmin OS does support full suite of Android services including responding to texts, however, the feature is missing for the iOS users which is a bummer. Garmin Pay is another great service, but seemingly missing from UK.

To be honest, there is a lot to like about the Garmin Vivoactive 3, especially in a market where there are so many smartwatches, the Vivoactive is just great despite having no commonalities. It does not even run the standard Android Wear, and still manages to hold its own against the competition. I can go on a limb and say that the Garmin Vivoactive 3 is one of the best, if not the best smartwatches you can buy at the moment.

Pros

Great design.

Loaded with features.

Several sensors.

Fitness trackers are the best.

Works with both iOS and Android without any issue.

Cons

iOS users are out of luck as they will not be able to respond to texts using this watch.

If the Apple Watch 3 is too expensive or out of your range, but you still want to have a good Apple experience, then you can always go ahead and buy the Apple Watch 2, because in my opinion, it still is a great option because you have all the good things, and Apple’s amazing dedication towards their old devices is keeping the Watch 2 keeping.

With that said, the Apple Watch 2 is still as good as it was when it first came out. You get all the sensors that you would want, and while there are no groundbreaking ones, they are what a watch basically needs. Apple Watch 2 comes with heart rate sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, and ambient light sensor; needless to say, you are covered as far as the sensors are concerned.

The performance is snappy as it can get; the watch is getting the updates, so if you are worried that you might be left behind. However, there are some things that I don’t like; for starters, the Apple Watch 2 looks exactly like the original, and even the predecessor. It kind of becomes weird, considering how you are paying a premium, and many users would at least ant a refreshed design. But it’s Apple we are talking about, and that is not as easy as it may seem.

All in all, the Apple Watch 2 is still a great watch if you are okay with the boring design. It has a gorgeous screen, solid build quality, great iOS integration, and a very amazing performance. What more could a user want?

Pros

Stable and fast performance.

Great build quality.

Access to a lot of apps.

Great number of sensors.

Cons

The watch looks the same as the older generation, and the newer generation.

Considering how literally everyone is releasing a smartwatch in the modern day and age, it was not surprising to see LG release one as well. However, the surprising part was the way they handled the smartwatch. The LG Watch Sport is a simple, pleasing to look at smartwatch that is mainly for fitness enthusiasts but still has enough features to keep everyone nearly aboard.

The Watch Sport is designed around simplicity; there are no weird, angular shapes on the watch. Instead, you get a fairly big, and round screen that looks good, and a sport band, and that is about it. The watch itself runs on Android Wear 2.0, and has all the necessary apps that you might need. As far as the build quality and the design is concerned, I think the watch looks great, and is easy on the eyes.

The good thing here is that you do not need to have a phone on hand to tether the watch at all times, as it can work on its own as well. The sensors are ample and work well without causing any issue, and the overall design of the watch is attractive, despite simplicity.

The only thing less than pleasing is the battery life which can get you 15 hours with always-on display turned on. It is not bad by any means and can certainly be improved if you turn off the always-on display, but that kind of kills the purpose.

Overall, the LG Watch Sport is a great option if you are looking for a good smartwatch with enough options to make the usage easy for you. Sure, there are some shortcomings, but nothing that will ruin your overall experience, which certainly is a great thing to say the least.

Pros

The watch looks good.

Good build quality.

Enough sensors.

Android Wear 2.0 is great.

Cons

The last smartwatch on our list is Amazfit Pace, a smartwatch from Xiaomi that is actually very good, especially because it fits will within the budget of most of the people who are looking for a smartwatch. Now the good thing is that the smartwatch looks modern enough for everyone to buy; the sensors are there for those who are wondering.

You get features such as GPS and GLONASS which is always a plus point, and actually a very surprising thing considering the low cost of this smartwatch. The Pace is available in red and black; and to be honest, both colours look really good. Another surprising part is battery life which is nothing exceptional, but surprisingly decent if I am being honest.

The distance measuring on the smartwatch is also accurate, so you will not be facing any issues like that either. With all the good things, and the small price tag, you only wonder if Xiaomi managed to cut corners, and I am afraid that they have; especially in the screen department because it just is not good enough as compared to some of the other watches that I have used. It is not poor or anything, it is just that if you have a taste for the finer things, you are going to want a good screen.

All in all, I would say that with the Amazfit pace, you are getting what you pay for. This is not entirely a bad thing, but in certain situations, I wish it could have been a bit better, there are just some things that feel like cut corners, and while for budget oriented users, it might not matter, some people will notice that.

Pros

GPS and GLONASS.

Easy on the pockets.

Accurate distance measuring.

Looks pretty decent.

Cons

The screen does not look as good as it should have been.

Conclusion

Testing all the smartwatches was a chore, especially then there were so many options available. Some smartwatches really delivered, and at the same time, some were not as good. However, the list does cater to all the great options available to you so I can assure you that you will not be having any issues whatsoever. Just make sure that you make the decisions carefully, otherwise, things can be a bit confusing to say the least, and I would not suggest that.